The invention relates to presses of the type used in compressing refractory material in the manufacture of bricks and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to brick presses which include at least one plunger assembly for use in compressing refractory material in a mold, and to a press construction wherein the plunger assembly and the mold are removable. The invention also relates to a method for removing the plunger assembly and the mold from the press.
Brick presses of the type of the invention commonly include a mold table which is vertically slideable on columns. The mold table supports a removable mold having a plurality of vertical mold cavities. The press also includes a plunger assembly having a plurality of rigid plungers extending upwardly into the mold cavities, the ends of the plungers providing forming surfaces. Such presses commonly further include a second plunger assembly supported above the mold and including a plurality of plungers moveable downwardly to compress refractory material in the mold. Presses of this type are frequently used to form a variety of products having different shapes and sizes. Accordingly, it is frequently necessary to replace the mold and the plunger assemblies with alternate molds and plunger assemblies. As described in the U.S. Dorsey Pat. No. 3,447,205, in recent years the trend in the industry has been to use presses developing very high forming pressures, and the presses have required heavy structural components which may be difficult to remove from the press and difficult to handle. Accordingly, removal and replacement of the plunger assemblies has been time consuming and labor intensive.